In October 2020, Team WHEELS surveyed the restored Delhi Road (SH-13) as an option to bypass Durgapur Expressway. Connecting Kolkata to Bardhaman, the old NH-2, popularly known as the Delhi Road, was the main thoroughfare before the construction of the Golden Quadrilateral.
From 2008, with the opening of the Durgapur Expressway or the new NH-2 (renumbered as NH-19) between Dankuni and Palsit, the Delhi Road was bypassed, which had been since lying under despair.
Earmarked as State Highway 13 (SH-13), the Delhi Road has been recently reconstructed impressively and stands as a major competitor to the new NH-19 (NH-2/Durgapur Expressway) for the regular highway motorists.

The newly constructed SH-13 (Delhi Road)
The distance of SH-13 (Delhi Road) from Kolkata via Nivedita Setu is 6 km whereas it is 19 km from Vidyasagar Setu.
Thereafter, with a total length of 84 km, SH-13 (Delhi Road) starts from NH-19 (NH-2) junction of Dankuni in Hooghly district and passes through several major towns. It finally terminates at NH-19 (NH-2) at Palsit in Bardhaman district.
However, the newly constructed NH-19 (NH-2/Durgapur Expressway) is a part of the Golden Quadrilateral connecting Kolkata to Delhi. The length of Durgapur Expressway between Dankuni and Palsit is 66.2 km which is short by 17.8 km from SH-13 (Delhi Road/old NH-2).

Main Towns
SH-13 (Delhi Road) was the main thoroughfare between Bardhaman, Hooghly, and Kolkata, connecting many major towns on the outskirts of Kolkata:
? Serampore, ? Sheoraphuli,  ? Baidyabati,  ? Chandannagar, ? Chinsura, ? Bandel, ? Adisaptagram
? Mogra, ? Kalyani, ? Tribeni, ? Pandua, ? Kalna, ? Baichi, ? Memari, ? Rasulpur, ? Palsit
There are many motorists from these suburban towns who avail of this road for their daily commute to Kolkata.

Advantages of SH-13 (Delhi Road)
? Driving time
After the renovation of the SH-13 (Delhi Road), the biggest advantage has turned out to be its uninterrupted commuting time. Team WHEELS drove the distance on a couple of occasions to survey the driving time at a standard speed of 50-80 kmph and got through within 1 hour 45 min flat.
With the restriction of large commercial vehicles (for a bridge under construction between Sheoraphuli and Baidyabati), motorists can cover the whole stretch of 84 km from Palsit to Dankuni (and vice versa) in approximately 1 hour 45 min flat.

Although the length of the road is longer than NH-19 (NH-2/Durgapur Expressway) by 18 km, with the fewer chances of disruption, the commuting time remains the same most of the time – be it day or night.
There are only two places on the SH-13 (Delhi Road) where one has to deal with congestion – the Mogra Flyover and the Pandua Bazar. Barring these two areas, the drive is almost free-flowing.

On the other hand, when it comes to driving time, the new NH-19 (NH-2/Durgapur Expressway) is extremely unpredictable. The driving time for covering the 66 km length of the Durgapur Expressway till Dankuni becomes extremely erratic due to the heavy movement of the large commercial vehicles. The north-bound lane from Dankuni to Palsit becomes clogged during the morning hours at the two toll plazas of Dankuni and Palsit. This is because of the departure of the commercial vehicles from Kolkata.
Similarly, in the evening after 7 pm, the south-bound flank towards Kolkata remains choc-a-bloc around the toll plazas. The queues may stretch beyond a kilometre or more at times, posing serious time lag and stress to motorists. Lately, the traffic-choke time has become a hindrance. With the increase of traffic on the highway, motorists have to keep their fingers crossed while driving on NH-19 (NH-2/Durgapur Expressway) – even after the introduction of FASTag.

Thus, Team WHEELS recommends the city out-bound motorists avail SH-13 (Delhi Road) during the early morning hours between 6-8 am to beat the heavy congestion at the toll plazas and heavy vehicle traffic on the north-bound flank towards Bardhaman. Similarly, during the evening hours of 7-9 pm, NH-19 (NH-2/Durgapur Expressway) may be avoided. Instead it is recommended you avail SH-13 (Delhi Road) to return to the city of Kolkata within the reasonable time-frame you may have set yourself.

? Road surface
With the renovation of the SH-13 (Delhi Road), the road condition has become almost flawless. With proper road markings, lane demarcation, and traffic signage, the passage on the highway has become a drivers’ delight.

The restored SH-13 (Delhi Road) has been turned into a dual carriageway with the construction of a median all through between Dankuni and Hossenabad-Mogra (a 36 km) stretch.
However, between Mogra and Palsit, although renovated, the road continues to function as a single carriageway though with an impressive road width. It is expected that the Mogra and Palsit stretch will also be converted into a dual carriageway on the completion of the flyover at Hossenabad-Mogra.

Toll Plazas
Presently no toll tax has been imposed for plying on SH-13 (Delhi Road). As a result, Rs 170 can be saved each way by evading Rs 85 each at Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas as the toll tax at present.
However, a new toll tax plaza is being constructed on the SH-13 (Delhi Road) at the Sheoraphuli stretch.

Eateries
Unlike NH-19 (NH-2/Durgapur Expressway), SH-13 (Delhi Road) has numerous eateries and bars – large and small. Since the road has been an age-old major thoroughfare, it has no less than 40-50 food joints – both upscale and basic, on the 84 km stretch that remains open round the clock.
On the contrary, Durgapur Expressway has only 10-12 prominent eateries at long intervals. While searching for food on the new highway remains a challenge for highway users, at SH-13 you are spoilt for choice.

Service Centres
SH-13 (Delhi Road) was the main connector between Kolkata and Bardhaman for many years and has been nurturing several car service centres. The centres offer varying scales of repair suitable for different kinds of car models that might be required.
On the other hand, tracing a proper service centre on the Durgapur Expressway can become a major headache. Though there are plenty of tyre repairing joints, the chance of finding a proper service centre on the Durgapur Expressway is remote. Motorists may find this a daunting task during breakdowns.

Safety
The NH-19 (NH-2/Durgapur Expressway) has been primarily etched out of vacant land; the local neighbourhood is still nonexistent. Thus, other than the highway travellers, the chance of finding local people during an emergency is bleak.
The scenario of SH-13 (Delhi Road) is however, very different. As the road passes through several towns, the presence of residents and workers serves as constant company all through the way. Under emergencies, getting help should not be a major challenge.